


Rescue Me Hat Boy

by JenneeGrace



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-17
Updated: 2013-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-12 02:43:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/806238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JenneeGrace/pseuds/JenneeGrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mysterious Blue Phone-boxes are not supposed to just appear in your backyard. Even little Emma Swan knows that much, but then she's never quite gotten the hang of that whole "Don't Talk to Strangers" lecture.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cookies and Milk

Emma had long since mastered the art of pretending to be asleep whenever the adults came by to check for the last time before going to bed as well. The sounds of snores (and Josie Williams talking in her sleep) around her were enough indication that the other kids were not going to be getting up to follow. She hugged the flashlight close while slowly walking across the room and slipping out the door. It wasn’t like she was tired anyhow and she’d seen what had come in with the groceries and gotten hidden up where none of the others would think to look.

 Adults always seemed to have a way of getting things around here that the kids would probably enjoy but hogging them all for themselves. And anything that could prove to be perfect currency to get some of the others to leave her alone when she wanted was all the better. Emma flipped on the flashlight once she was downstairs and keeping careful of the string across the living room that would ring a bell if she tripped it. They knew someone was stealing from the kitchens, but so far she was still smarter.

 She listened for a moment before pulling one of the kitchen chairs out to help her get up onto the counter. From there it was easy to get to the cupboard over the refrigerator and pull out two unopened packages of Oreos. Emma had just gotten back to the chair when she heard it.

  **VWOOOOORP! VWOOOOOORP!**

 Emma froze instantly, almost dropping her prize, and started looking around for somewhere to escape and settled with the broom closet while she tried to slow her breathing before someone came in.

 Silence was all that greeted her in return.

 And they thought a bell was going to wake them up? Emma came back out and returned the chair before looking at the back door. What HAD caused that? It didn’t sound like any car she knew and really the back yard would be a lot safer hiding place than anywhere in the bedroom…

 She headed out the door and only took a second to find the source. A tall blue box with frosted windows and the words “Police Box” painted in white along the top. The door was open with a man sitting in it. He certainly didn’t look like the police however. Or at least she’d never seen a police officer that wore a paisley vest and had a top hat that he was just fanning himself with. He spotted her, just standing there clutching onto the cookies in her nightgown with a stunned expression, and just smiled.

 Emma wasn’t entirely sure she should be feeling reassured that the likely-non-police officer was smiling at her. Better than scolding her for being awake and there was something magnetic about the box that drew her closer. “Are you okay?”

 “More or less… Any chance you could tell me what year it is?”

 Emma blinked at the odd question. “Like you don’t know.”

 “I’m not exactly feeling a hundred percent and lucky I didn’t fall into the swimming pool with that landing. Indulge me here, Princess…” The man put his hat back on and just looked at her, still smiling.

 She wasn’t exactly sure where he thought there was a swimming pool around here. Not a lot of people in Maine really had a lot of need for them. “1991… And can you not call me that? They do that all the time in there. Sweetie. Pumpkin. Sugar. Princess. Darling… And then when someone mentions one of our names they don’t know which one it is.”

 “Well then what is your name?” He asked gently.

 “Emma. Emma Swan.” She ignored the damp grass and just went to kneel in front of him and tilting her head curiously. “And what’s your name?”

 “Emma Swan…” He grinned slightly and looked half lost in a memory. “I’m John Smith.”

 “That’s silly. How is anyone supposed to remember you from all the other hundred million ‘John Smith’s out there?”

 “Maybe I don’t want to be remembered by just anyone.”

 “I don’t know how anyone could forget you.”

 Another grin. “This Anyone is a lot of people that might not have the best of intentions… What would you call me then, Emma Swan?”

 “You can’t just give someone another name.”

 “Why not?”

 Emma struggled for any sort of answer. Honestly she couldn’t really think of one when people were inventing new names for themselves all the time. She sighed and just looked him over trying to think of something then. “Jefferson. Like my favorite president. And he always had one of those scarfy things around his neck too.”

 “Just Jefferson?”

 Emma nodded. “One name… Like Madonna. Or Cher.”

 “Works for me…” He chuckled a little and just leaned against the door and closed his eyes for a moment.

 Emma look down at the cookies and opened up the top package and pulled out the first Oreo and got up to hold it out to him. “Here. You don’t look so good.” He took it with a small grateful smile and bit into it.

 “Thank you, Emma.” She took one for herself before he bolted up, grabbing onto the door for support. “You know what this needs? Milk!” Emma watched as he vanished into the box for what seemed like an awfully long time for just a phone box. Though where he was going to get milk from…

 Somehow he returned with two glasses, giving her one and dipping the rest of his cookie into the other before finishing it. “Ah yes, perfect… Though I won’t ask where you got all the cookies. You seem rather resourceful.”

 Emma shrugged and gave him another one. “It’s not like the adults ever share. And it gets the other kids to leave me alone.”

 “Why would you want to be alone?” He sat back down, clearly trying not to look like he was having to lean too much against the doors.

 Emma disassembled another cookie, licking out the frosting from the middle before dunking the cookie pieces. “They always make fun of me. Because I tell them that my parents didn’t want to leave me, but they didn’t have any choice in the matter. And most of them are stupid anyhow. Like Josie going on all the time about how her clothes are better or she’s prettier than everyone else… They’re the same hand-me-downs everyone else wears and they’re not any better. And who cares about clothes anyhow?”

 “Certainly not you.”

 “Well there’s a lot more INTERESTING things to be worried about than CLOTHES.” She listed off a number of things and her reasons for liking them while he just sat there with an amused smile. Her schoolwork even apparently took priority over fashion, but she was most interested in science out of her subjects. She was also very good at sports and enjoyed getting to go outside and show the boys who was the better soccer player. Emma would pause occasionally for him to respond, but there were plenty of times that she just got caught up in what she was talking about. His attention never faltered for a moment though and only occasionally did he even go to change positions slightly to get more comfortable or take another of the cookies.

 By the time she started yawning, half the package was gone. She made sure he wasn’t going anywhere before heading back and hiding them both behind an old shed. By the time she returned though he was standing there, hands behind his back and the hat gone.

 “I should probably go back inside... Eventually someone might get up and realize I’m not in bed.” She was reluctant to head back, but leaving sounded better than getting caught. “And you should probably find a way to get the phone box off of the flowerbed.”

 “I’ll try to do that. But I have something I want you to keep with you. Just a friend that you can tell things to and won’t go on and on about himself.”

 He pulled his hands out from behind his back and held out a stuffed rabbit with a patchwork vest. Emma just looked at it curiously for a moment before stepping forward and taking it. “Is this yours?”

 “Yes and no… I made it a long time ago, but its original owner doesn’t have much use for it these days. Someone should be getting some use out of him however and I want you to have it.” There was a note of sadness in his eyes that even the eight year old girl noticed, but she just hugged onto the toy and gave him a smile of thanks. She’d never really had anything that was just hers and hers alone before.

 “Thank you… Will I see you again?”

 “I can just about guarantee it, Emma Swan.”

 She smiled brighter than she had all night and went running back toward the house and carefully got back to bed. It didn’t take long and she was drifting off to sleeping having dreams of friendly gentlemen in top hats that just sat around having tea parties with cookies and milk.


	2. Mysterious Rabbits

“I’m so sorry.”

 “He was a good man.”

 “I’m here if you need anything at all.”

 That was the biggest lie of all, and she had known it. That hadn’t stopped Emma from calling on her friends when she wanted to try and get out of the house again. It had been six months since Graham had passed away and every time she called someone there was always some excuse they had for not having time for her. There was no one around to baby-sit the kids. They had to make an early night of it for work. Family visiting from out of town… Always something.

 Emma had buried herself into her work. Tracking down bail jumpers was enough work to keep her mind busy most of the time and wear her out until she was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. And every morning she woke up hugging onto a stuffed rabbit with tears falling down her face.

 She had given up looking for the blue box after her sixteen birthday. Everyone might have thought she was losing her grip on reality ever mentioning it, and a few had suggested it was the reason she had never been adopted. Who wanted a kid who kept going on about a crazy man with a police telephone box whenever someone brought up her rabbit? She hadn’t exactly had an easy life since getting out of the system, but she had managed to get her life together eventually with the help of her mentor turned boyfriend turned fiancé. She knew he had been too good to be true.

 However the next person who suggested that they needed her guardian angel in heaven again was going to find themselves shot in the foot.

 Emma pulled herself out for a day of relaxation and trying to do something other than go running around. Heaven forbid any of them decide to just come along quietly and give her an easy day for once. No. Today was going to be about getting out there and remembering how to just make it on her own if her friends weren’t going to be there. Movie, lunch, and maybe a pedicure if there was enough time. She just wanted to spend an afternoon just focusing on herself.

 Relaxed, rejuvenated and feeling better, the last thing she was expecting was to almost get run over on her way out of the salon. “Hey watch where you’re… YOU!”

 The currently boxless madman gave her a grin and straightened out his hat. “Yes! Me! Wait, me who? … No, that’s usually what other people say.” He looked behind her before turning back to face her. “Have we met?”

 Emma’s face fell. “You don’t remember?” Then he looked exactly as she remembered other than a lot healthier and eyes darting about.

 “Sorry, but…” He looked back behind her again at the sounds of a few screams and just grabbed her hand. “Run.”

 Emma wanted to stop him right there, but there seemed to be plenty to run from when she looked back at the creature that was following them. It looked like a melted skull of some sort and rather terrifying. She kept a hold of his hand and looked back to where they were running. “Why are we running?! And do you have any idea how hard it is to run in heels?”

 “I do, actually. And it is hard to explain when we’re trying to GET AWAY FROM IT!” He pulled her around a corner and there was the box she had seen and been told didn’t actually exist.

 “That is going to be a tight fit…” She commented while he was struggling with a key and pulling the door open.

 “After you then.” Emma did not appreciate being pushed into the little box but another glance back suggested that was a good idea. Once inside though she had no idea why… Nor where she actually was considering it was a huge room. He was shutting the doors tightly behind her and just running for the center console and pulling knobs and pushing buttons while looking at the screen and pointing what looked like a video game controller at the door.

 “Yes, I know… Probably not what you expected from the outside. Right? Of course not. No one ever does. And what was your name?”

 “Emma Swan. You sat outside my orphanage one night?” He had pushed some button that started whatever sort of lose-your-lunch-at-the-carnival ride this box was that sent her grabbing for the rail.

 “Yes, of course. No idea what you’re talking about, Emma Swan.” Another lever pulled and they stopped again and he just took a few breaths before starting to laugh. “That was actually sort of fun… But back to why we were running. The Silence… They’ve been living here and controlling things, but the problem generally is that the moment you look away, you can’t remember anything. Auto-delete on your brainpan.” He spun the screen around. “And that is what it looks like. Of course the moment you stop looking you won’t remember you were looking at it.”

Emma looked at it for a long moment and winced. “So how do you know we needed to get away? And what the hell are you doing about it then? AND WHO ARE YOU EVEN AND WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THING?”

 “I’m The Doctor…” He trailed off at banging on the door. “And you are very loud. Excuse me.”

 “Doctor who?” He just shook his head and opened up the door to another woman standing there with black hair and several red streaks through it who just walked right in.

 “Do you have any idea how hard it is to try and keep a hold of that thing while you’re jumping around because you can’t listen when someone is yelling for you to stop and unlock the damned door and…” She paused, looking over Emma and just grinned and held out a hand to her. “Hi, I’m Captain Ruby Lucas.”

  “I moved all of five miles. And stop…”

 “I was only saying hello… He’s such a grump.” Ruby winked at Emma. “Picking up replacements since you missed me that much?”

 “Hey, I’m not replacing anyone, sister…” Emma just looked at the two of them. “And will someone PLEASE tell me what’s going on around here?”

 Ruby grinned. “You found one with attitude… I approve for the record.”

 “Please, stop…” The Doctor/John Smith/Jefferson/Whatever he was apparently calling or letting himself be called these days ran his fingers through his hair. “She’s still in that general state of not knowing what is going on around here and you’re not helping matters…” He pointed over to the woman. “Captain Ruby, Time Agent, and general thorn in my side even if she is occasionally useful.”

 “Aww… I’m blushing.”

 “Shut up.” He motioned around the room. “TARDIS… I suppose you’d probably call her a spaceship, but it is so much more than that and you will hurt her feelings if you just call her a spaceship. She’s my home for as long as there are still stars burning in this universe. And I am The Doctor. Just “The Doctor”… I’d say you’d get used to it, but you’re not sticking around. Timelord, Alien…”

 “You’re kidding.”

 “Oh no… Cross my hearts.”

 “Your… I can’t handle this.” Emma headed for the door again just muttering about reconsidering that therapist.

 “And the orphanage, Emma Swan?” She turned back to look at him before he shrugged the slightest. “I’m sorry I don’t know anything about it. Your past… Probably my future. If you want to stick around though I’m sure you could tell Ruby here all about it.” He went and pulled out a thumb drive and just held it up. “Besides I have humanity to save and television networks to break into… This was so much easier when there were only three channels. Don’t bother asking. You probably don’t actually want to know for right now. Toodles!” He gave a grin before heading off with his mind more on the girl he went and just moved out of the way of his door frame.

 He returned an hour later to find Ruby standing outside of the police box, apparently waiting for him as she stood up and just walked slowly toward him with her hands kept behind his back. “So we have a new passenger.”

 “All things considered, don’t you think you should probably ask me before just asking people along?” He pressed past her, stopping at the door before turning back. “Why is she coming along?”

 “Oh I had to talk her into it just the slightest bit… But then I knew you would do the same the moment you saw this.” Ruby took out a stuffed rabbit from behind her back and immediately had it snatched out of her hands.

 “What were you doing in her room? It’s sealed with a triple voice lock to keep anyone from going in there.”

 Ruby sighed and reached over to just lay a hand on his shoulder. He pulled away, but that didn’t stop her from trying again. “I wasn’t... You will be… I can’t tell you everything because we both know how dangerous that would be, but you gave it to the Swan girl. She’s supposed to be here. For whatever reason she doesn’t want to even bring up to me I think she needs to come with us. And you know that box of yours is more likely to take us where we need to go. You gave it to her though and one of these days you’re going to figure out why…”

 “I don’t like puzzles like this…” He commented. He had hugged onto the rabbit and had his nose half buried in it while he looked over at Ruby.

 “Hey, even I don’t know what’s going to happen next.” She went over though and opened up the door and reached out a hand to drag him back inside if needed. “Half the fun of it all though, isn’t it Doctor? Never knowing where we’ll end up? And besides I already found her the perfect room… Next to mine.”

 He sighed, but there was the slightest bit of a smile again as he headed back in and reverently set the rabbit up on the console. Switches flipped to get everything running again, he couldn’t help but glance over at it rather frequently.

 “Emma Swan… Who are you?”


End file.
